Gift Item for Storage of Mementos

ABSTRACT

A gift item comprises a soft toy in the form of a bear having arms, and legs and a pocket formed in a chest region of the body. A pouch is attached to the extremity of one of the arms in which pouch, in use, an item can be stored. The pocket is sized so that the pouch can be fully inserted therein and a cover in the form of a heart shaped patch is releasably securable across the pocket so as to secure the pouch therein. The arm extremity with which the pouch is associated is then held proximate to the pocket in a manner such that the arm appears to be resting on the chest region of the body pointing towards the patch.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a National Stage of PCT/GB2007/004110, filed on Oct.26, 2007 (published as WO 2008/056103 on May 15, 2008), which claimspriority to foreign patent application GB 0622178.2, filed on Nov. 7,2006, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to gift items. Specifically, the presentinvention relates to a gift item in the form of a toy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally, mementos have been stored in a “safe” place which tendsto mean that they are often lost or at the very least difficult to find.Even if found, their significance is often forgotten because they arenot adequately labelled when stored. The need accordingly exists for areadily identifiable storage medium for mementos. In the preferredembodiment of the present invention, such a storage medium is providedin the form for soft toys especially adapted for receipt and safekeeping of the memento. Additionally, the soft toy itself provides anattractive and desirable item which may be used as a gift. A label whichprovides means for identifying the memento and/or the person who gavethe gift item can conveniently be secured to the soft toy so as to servethe function of identifying the memento and/or the giver of the giftitem in the future.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention the gift itemis in the form of a soft toy having limbs. A memento holding pouch issecured to or integral with the extremity with one of the limbs so thatwhen the memento is placed in the pouch and the pouch is placed in areceptacle provided for the purpose on the body of the soft toy, thelimb appears to be resting on the surface of the body. Preferably, thereceptacle is in the chest of the soft toy so that the limb appears tobe resting on the chest. In a particularly preferred embodiment of theinvention the receptacle is in the form of a pocket formed in the bodyof a soft toy and a cover is provided for closing the pocket.Preferably, the cover is releasably securable in a position closing thepocket, and may be released from this position to facilitate access tothe pocket. In particular, the hook and loop or similar material may beused to secure at least one side of the cover to the soft toy, or amagnetic fastener may be used as an alternative. Preferably, the coveris in the form of a heart-shaped patch so that when the pouch containingthe memento is placed in the pocket and the pocket closed by the patch,the extremity of the limb of the soft toy rests on the heart-shapedpatch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a gift toy, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention would be better understood from the following descriptionof the preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only,reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein the singlefigure illustrates schematically an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the embodiment of the invention shown is in theform of a teddy bear 1 formed in conventional manner of a fabric coverand soft stuffing. The teddy bear has a head 2, body 3, arms 4A and 4Band legs 5.

A pouch 6 is secured to the extremity 10 of the arm 4B and is openableto deposit a memento within the pouch. The memento could, for example,be a child's birth wristband, a lock of hair, a first tooth, or thelike. Once the memento has been placed in the pouch 6, the pouch may beclosed, for example by means of a drawstring 7 which also functions tosecure the pouch to the limb 4B.

The chest region 8 of the body 3 is formed with an aperture 9 whichleads to a receptacle in the form of a lined pocket. The lined pocket issized to receive the pouch 6 and its memento so that's when the pouch 6is in the pocket 9 the extremity 10 of the arm 4B rests against thechest 8. In the preferred embodiment of the invention a cover 11 in theform of a patch of suitable fabric material is provided to close thepocket. For this purpose, the patch 11 may be secured to the body 3 by atouch-and-hold material or maybe sewn to the body at one side of thepocket and secured to the body on the other side of the pocket bytouch-and-hold material. Alternatively, the cover may be secured on theother side of the pocket by provision of a magnet in the cover which isattracted to and secures to a magnet or metal plate sewn or otherwisesecured to the bear 1 in the region of the pocket. It will, of course,be understood that in the event of use of a magnet and metal plate, themagnet may equally be secured to the bear and the metal plate secured tothe cover. Preferably, the cover 11 is in the shape of a heart and is ofa material which contrasts in colour and/or texture with the material ofthe body 3.

In use, the memento is first placed in the pouch 6 as described aboveand the pouch closed using the drawstring 7. Next, the cover 11 is opento expose the pocket 9 and the pouch 6 is pushed into the pocket 9. Thecover 11 is then closed so that the drawstring passes over the upperedge 12 of the cover 11. With the various components positioned asdescribed the extremity 10 of the arm 4B rests on or adjacent theheart-shaped cover 11.

Preferably, the limb 4A has at the extremity 13 thereof a label 14 onwhich indicia may be placed to identify, for example, the nature of thememento, the date of the memento, or the identity of the person who gavethe gift item.

1-8. (canceled)
 9. A gift item comprising a soft toy having limbs and aseparate external pouch secured to the extremity of at least one of thelimbs in which, in use, an item is received, and a receptacle providedon the body of said soft toy, in which, in use, the pouch locates so asto hold the extremity of said limb against the outside body of said softtoy.
 10. A gift item according to claim 9, wherein the receptacle isformed by a pocket in the body of the soft toy.
 11. A gift itemaccording to claim 10, further including a cover by means of which thepocket is closable so as to conceal the pouch within the pocket, theextremity of the limb being held against the cover when the pouch islocated in the pocket.
 12. A gift item according to claim 11, whereinthe cover is at least partially releasably securable to the body of thesoft toy in a position extending across the pocket, for example by meansof touch and hold material or a magnetic fastener.
 13. A gift itemaccording to claim 11, wherein a portion of the cover is permanentlysecured to the body of the soft toy on one side of the pocket, forexample by sewing, so as to prevent the cover from becoming separatedfrom the body.
 14. A gift item according to claim 9, wherein thereceptacle is in the chest of the soft toy so that, in use, the limbappears to be resting on the chest.